FDR Pebbles: 2 big thumbs up
Written: Feb 10 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Kid oriented resort as good as advertised. Vacation nanny a big plus.
Cons: The usual: traffic, tourist rip-offs, travel difficult on island
The Bottom Line: The resort was great, but Jamaica has many problems which are difficult to ignore.
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| cvs8floz's Full Review: Jamaica |
This was our first experience with an all-inclusive resort and our first visit to Jamaica. The vacation was a last-minute decision, booked on Expedia two weeks prior to travel. We got 9 days and 8 nights for $920/each including airfare and all taxes, which I consider a relative bargain. We traveled in the last week of August 2002, just prior to Labor Day and the start of school.
FDR Pebbles is a medium-sized resort located on the northern coast about half-way between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Falmouth, the capital of Trelawney, is the closest town, but I don't think too many tourists stop there as it seemed more like a hub where the locals shop. There are the remnants of old British fortifications there which were used in the filming of the movie "Papillon", we were told. The "Glistening Waters" and the mouth of the Martha Brae river are also just outside of town.
When you pass through the reception area and enter the resort, you feel like you are in a tropical rain forest with vegetation hugging you on all sides. Narrow stone pathways lead from one building to the next, and the strong smell of earth and tropical plants permeates the air. I was surprised that a resort that is barely 3 years old can be so lush, but then, everything grows in Jamaica, provided there is enough water.
Each 2-story guest building features 8 suites, 4 on each floor, and as far as I could tell, all the suites are identical. You can check out pictures on the FDR website. I loved the log cabin look and felt the suite to be warm and inviting, although it could have used more interior lighting. Each unit has a small fridge which gets restocked by your nanny with drinks of your choice, just make sure that you order enough from the list every day. I must agree with the critics of the resort who are quick to point out the lack of noise insulation between the units: this really didn't bother me so much because most of the guests are families with young children who go to bed early anyway, so you are unlikely to be kept awake by late-night revelers. If this is an issue, try getting a second floor unit, which always tend to be quieter, because nobody is walking on top of you.
When we arrived there on Friday afternoon, the place was bustling, and to my surprise, more than half of the guests were Jamaicans with their kids, enjoying the last weekend of the school vacation. Yes, despite all the poverty you witness just about everywhere you go in Jamaica, there is also an educated middle class, mostly from the Kingston area, who can afford to come to a beautiful resort like this to escape everyday reality for a few days. The higher people climb up the social ladder, the more likely they are to speak English with a beautiful British accent, instead of the local patois. Seeing so many Jamaican guests reinforced the feeling I had that this was a class resort worth every penny we paid.
I do not want to regurgitate information about the resort from the website, but I can assure you that the place is as good as advertised, if not better. Whoever thought of providing vacation nannies to families so parents can enjoy some time away from the kids was a genius. But that is not all: there are actually quality kids' activities organized around the clock, in facilities that rival those of good day-care centers here in the States. The resort not only makes sure that kids are properly supervised by trained nannies, but also that they have something interesting to do, which is a constant struggle when you are vacationing with kids. The activities are broken down by age group, from toddlers to teenagers. There is a big gameroom above the main dining area for the older kids, as well as a disco. Everybody can participate in fishing, snorkeling, glass boat or ocean kayak rides, scuba diving (above a minimum age), tennis, treasure hunts, fashion shows, pool games, etc. The nannies will take the kids to the different activities when you are not around, or just look after them when they play in the big pool, which is always a favorite. Overall, we were impressed by the level of professionalism and enthusiasm demonstrated by the staff.
There are three restaurants on the resort: a main dining hall with buffet-style food, a pool-side grill for fast food and drinks as well as a chic Italian restaurant at the far end of the resort (dinner only, no kids allowed). The best dinner we had was probably at the Italian restaurant, but I found the food to be average to good in general. I normally stuck with the fish for dinner and I was rarely disappointed. There is always plenty of staff around so you are seated quickly and your drinks always get refilled right away. There are special kids' meals at the pool-side grill every night, and kids could always order pizza, snacks and ice cream. Jamaican specialties are prominently featured.
Because the resort caters to families, don't expect wild late-night parties and dancing till dawn. Instead, the resort puts on dinner shows every night, featuring live music, dancers, comics and fire eaters. Audience participation is always encouraged, and there was Karaoke singing one night which was a lot of fun. They will keep the bar open as long as there are people around, but the place shuts down by midnight most evenings.
Make sure to bring some bug spray because the mosquitoes are out almost every night, although they are not as bad as
many people make them out to be. Different areas of the resort get fumigated every night, to keep the mosquito population down. We thought there was a fire the first time we saw them do that, as the power-sprayer kicks up a nasty cloud of smoke and dust that smells something like diesel exhaust. I pity the guy who is carrying the sprayer around the resort and who has to breathe that stuff in every night.
Our first experience with the darker side of Jamaican tourism came on the day after our arrival, when we went on a shopping trip to Montego Bay sponsored by the resort. It boiled down to the driver taking us to a number of stores from which I am sure he received kick-backs. In general, the sales people were so aggressive that I felt like running back on the bus and hiding. Jamaicans have a lot to learn about how to sell and somebody needs to teach them that grabbing people and dragging them into their store isn't a very effective sales method. We later found out that right next to the resort, on the beach between Pebbles and the Starfish resort, is a thriving artist colony which sells the same stuff and more for less money, although they are just as aggressive. My advice: skip the Montego Bay shopping trip and buy from the people on the beach, just bring a lot of 1's and 5's as your supply of small bills tends to dwindle rather quickly. Avoid using credit cards as the consequences of their misuse could follow you home.
We were keen to explore the country but quickly learned that this was more difficult than expected. Organized tours to anything but Dunns River Falls are outrageously overpriced, costing upward of $75/person for even half-day excursions. The captain of the scuba diving boat at the resort put us in touch with a guy on the beach who owned a van and drove people around, but even he wanted $200 or more for a whole day of driving. We finally hired a driver from the resort and shared the cost with another family. Our plan was to head inland into the Cockpit country and to cross over to the southern side of Jamaica, where there are several sites that looked interesting, especially the Appleton rum factory. The trip started off well enough, as we were driving through sugar cane fields, even briefly stopping at another rum factory. But after getting about 5 miles inland, the terrain started to get hilly and the road quickly deteriorated, making progress slow and difficult. It was from this point on that the term subsistence farming came into focus. Most people we saw live in open shacks hanging off the steep hillside along this road, the only one in out of this region. I wonder how often one of these shacks just slides down the hillside after a heavy rainfall. The major crop there seemed to be yams, which people were digging out of the hillside and hauling up to the road using donkeys. The road, being the only level surface in many spots, served as market place and backyard, and you saw tiny kids standing and playing about 3 feet from traffic. We quickly realized that it was insane to assume that we would actually get anywhere. I can't say that I enjoyed this trip. There is only so much poverty and despair you need to see before you get the picture. We finally made it to the town of Christiana, about halfway across the island, nowhere near where I had imagined us going. I think it is safe to say that very few tourists end up in Christiana, which is actually an OK town, where we ate and checked out some of the stores. When we got back to the resort about 3 hours later, I felt rather angry for having wasted an entire day driving through poverty, but at least, we were safe and sound and had this beautiful resort to come back to. The people up in the hills will never have this luxury.
After the failed trip, we pretty much stayed at the resort, except for one more trip to Dunns River Falls (definitely worth the effort) and a shorter trip to Falmouth organized by the resort. The highlight of this trip was a visit to an alligator farm and a stop in Falmouth to buy sugar cane, which you should definitely try if you go. I regret not sampling the roasted yams people were selling along the highway, maybe next time.
My daughter who is 9 had a blast and already wants to go back. She got along fine with her nanny and really enjoyed the company of the councilors running the different kids' activities who always acted silly and made her laugh. My spouse got into scuba diving and actually got certified. I mostly enjoyed the feeling of doing fun activities in the sun, eating good food prepared for you and not having to think much of what to do and where to go. The staff at the resort will never try to sell you something or con you in any way, and I was never concerned about anyone stealing from the room. If you decide to go, I highly recommend the Lonely Planet guide to Jamaica, which is a fascinating read
and contains a wealth of information you'll never get on the island. I still feel ambivalent about Jamaica, but probably will go back there one day.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
cvs8floz
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Location: Cambridge, MA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Married, one daughter, homeowner. Always appreciative of products that exceed my expectations.
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